It was the massive a 11-year $85-million price tag that became too rich for the Lightning’s blood. It was to run until 2019-20 season and the team has decided to move forward without their all-time leading scorer. The cap hit would have been $7.3 million until it expired. Instead, the buyout will cost them $32 million over the next 14 years, which tops the previous largest-ever buyout of Ilya Bryzgalov. (All figures from Capgeek.com)

“We will continue to have the ability to spend to the salary cap each season, but the “cap-hit” created by Vinny’s contract is proving to be prohibitive as we model roster possibilities for 2013-14 and beyond. The economics and structure of the CBA are necessitating this decision, but we at the Lightning are excited at the newly-created opportunities this presents to us.”